The present invention relates to a clasp, and more particularly, is directed to a two-piece connector for ornamental material such as a knitwear necklace.
Necklace clasps are well-known to the jewelry trade. Necklaces are typically made from beads, pearls, gemstones, links, or the like, which are intended to be fully visible. Accordingly, a typical jewelry clasp has loops on the end, and the thread or wire that the beads are strung on is wrapped around the loops.
Recently, specialty yarns have become available so that material knitted from these yarns has sufficient visual appeal to serve as neck, waist and/or wrist ornaments. The ends of the material are usually considered unsightly and to be hidden from view. Thus, conventional jewelry clasps are inappropriate since they do not serve to conceal the ends of the knitted material.
FIG. 1A shows a rectangular piece 90 of knitting or other material, generally 2-3″ wide and 14-28″ long, for a necklace, has its long sides curled under to form a generally cylindrical shape. Instead of a rectangular piece, the knitwear can alternatively be triangular so as to form a shawl.
As shown in FIG. 1B, clasp 50 is a three piece unit having a main piece adapted to receive connectors 70 and 80 that are connected to the respective short ends of knitwear piece 90. When assembled, clasp 50 provides a smooth receptacle for the ends of piece 90 and completely conceals connectors 70, 80.
Clasp 50 is generally cylindrical with apertures 52, 54 at its short ends. The front of clasp 50 is smooth. The back of clasp 50 has a generally rectangular opening 40, with wall 30 positioned approximately midway along its length. One side of wall 30 has bezel 20 at approximately its midpoint. Bezel 20 contains magnet 10. On the inside back of the main piece of clasp 50, there is located loop 60.
Connector 70 has hook 75 at one of its ends, for engaging with loop 60 of clasp 50. The other end of connector 70 has an aperture for receiving an end of piece 90. As shown in FIG. 1C, the long edges of piece 90 naturally curl under themselves.
Attaching an end of piece 90 to connector 70 is described with reference to FIGS. 1D-1F.
At the aperture end of piece 70, there are holes 71, 72 on opposite sides of the aperture. After an end of piece 90 is inserted into the aperture end of connector 70 (not shown for clarity in understanding the following activity), nail 73 is inserted through holes 71, 72 until nailhead 74 is flush against the outside of connector 70. The portion of nail 73 that protrudes outside hole 72 is cut, and the end of nail 73 is tapped with a riveting hammer so that the metal of nail 73 is formed into a head slightly larger than the circumference of hole 72. In short, the end of piece 90 is held in connector 70 by a rivet formed from nail 73. Nail 73 is formed of the same or a similar material as the main piece of clasp 50, that is, a material appropriate for riveting.
FIG. 1G shows the outside of connector 5, also referred to as endcap 5, which may be employed in place of connector 70 discussed above. FIG. 1H shows the aperture end of connector 5. Openings are made in the sides of connector 5 to form posts 6. As with the connector discussed above, magnet 8 is located in setting 7 in the face of endcap 5 facing its aperture. An end of piece 90 is placed in aperture 5, and then piece 90 is sewn to the connector by making stitches in which the thread passes around the outside of posts 6 and through the material of piece 90.
Connector 80 has protrusion 85 at one of its ends, for engaging with the force from magnet 10 of clasp 50. The other end of connector 80 connects to the end of knitwear 90, in similar fashion as described above for connector 70.
A problem with the knitwear clasp of FIG. 1A is that it is awkward to attach hook 75 to loop 60 while the knitwear necklace is located around the wearer's neck; specifically, the hook requires very careful adjustment so as to be tight enough to stay in place yet loose enough to be easy to disconnect. Another problem is the difficulty of attaching piece 90 to the connectors; if the riveting technique is used, most consumers cannot do this, so a third party must do the riveting. Another problem is that each connector attaches to only one side, resulting in consumer frustration if an incorrect orientation is attempted. Another problem is that consumers misplaced clasp 50, rendering the necklace unwearable. Another problem is that the thickness of the wall of clasp 50, plus the thickness of the wall of endcaps 70 and 80 (or 5), creates a gap or step-off between the material, 90, and the clasp 50, which is visually undesirable. In addition, the thickness of the walls of the endcaps limits the space available for the knitting or other decorative band 90.
FIG. 2A shows another known clasp for knitwear. Knitted piece 96 has its ends coupled to connectors 76, 86, which in turn are held in clasp 56 by magnets. More specifically, as shown in FIG. 2B, connector 76 has nose 79 that holds a magnet. Similarly, connector 86 has nose 89 that holds a magnet. Clasp 56 has apertures 57, 58 for receiving connectors 76, 86, respectively. The back of clasp 56 has openings 46, 47. Walls 36, 37 are located inside clasp 56 and have noses 26, 27 for holding respective magnets that engage with the magnets in the noses of connectors 76, 86 when these connectors are inserted into clasp 56. As shown in FIG. 2C, an end of piece 96 is held in connector 76 using screw 77.
Accordingly, there is room for an improved clasp for knitwear and the like.